3 minute read
The Barriers of Language
[by Basil Saju]
Coming to New Zealand from a country that is does not generally speak English the first thing you struggle with is communicating with your mates. In a system that is so obsessed with development language has become the blood that flows through our lives. It is the one that connects everything together. If we fail to circulate it properly, it’s like you just become stuck in your box of ideas. That is why learning a language is not just learning new words it’s a way to define things in another way. So that everyone can understand.
Most will agree with me that there can never be no development if there is no effective communication between two people. It is important that people understand each other for any communication to be termedas effective. I think by now you understand that language is an important factor. Unless you can speak one language, then you can never communicate effectively. This is what has led people like me to learn more than one language so as to bridge the gap and make sure that you can communicate with others outside my mother language. It helps us to better understand the cultural essence and rich tradition of the native people of this land. It helps us to blend into the mix share our stories with them and learn theirs. Language is not just for the education purpose, it has its own tunes, its own rhythm and its own feel. I think that is why every accent is different as it conveys the language of a unique culture. So learning a new language is often considered as the first step to the lives of someone new.
Many think learning a new language may be hectic and stressing and often requires one to invest a lot of time in it. But for me, it’s just about understanding the emotions. In my mother tongue, I might have a different word for it but if you get the idea it’s just about learning the words. Misunderstanding is the best example of effects of language barriers. It is fetal if two people are working in the same environment and face the problem of language barriers. Use of technical jargon and slang could lead to language barrier. You can then work on resolving the problem together or try and learn the other person. You should however never let language barriers influence your relationship with others.
If you realize that you are faced with the problem of language barrier, then you should as soon as possible find a way to go about the problem. This is important if it is with people that you spend a lot of time with. One story that comes to my mind is the story of Hellen Keller, the secret to her success lies with her teacher Anne Sullivan. Being deaf and blind she found it difficult torelate to things, so Anne just placed Helen’s hand over running water to make her understand what is water. This same story applies to every language, forget the tense the grammar it’s just learning how to convert what is in your heart into words. Each and every one of you who are reading this could be a teacher, an inspiration to many foreigner’s to experience your lives through your words. No language is hard when you can relate it to the things around you.
Something that we experience around this country is that each society is introvert to each other. They say that the first step is always hard, so it is important for everyone to interact chat enjoy. Language should not be used to discriminate between each other it’s a gift to connect with each other. The boring lectures make English a dish served on a plate with no seasoning. So let’s add some spices make it more colorful with the world around you. So that everyone understands that we are all not that different, the words that we learned to speak with our mother tongue just makes feel we are.
